Richard Read, Reporter
Articles
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Have a few minutes to kill this Friday? Enjoy online games? Then you might like a walkthrough of Nissan's newest project, a "game-style promotion website" called "The Planet Zero".
Nissan's website...
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Toyota Tops List Of Green Brands, VW & Honda Close BehindToyota has had a bumpy ride the past couple of years, thanks in no small part to a high-profile series of safety recalls. To make matters worse, its popular Prius was recently lost its #1 spot on the EPA's list of fuel-efficient cars. But not to worry: the automaker just landed atop a different...
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When Did Cars Become The Yardstick For Measuring Pollution?If you've ever visited a museum or a manufacturing plant, you've probably heard a tour guide say something like this: "And if you laid all these bottles end-to-end, they'd stretch clear across the state of Kansas!" Through time and repetition, certain comparisons have become standardized, so that...
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TomTom Integrates Coulomb's Charging Map: We Have ConcernsConsumers and automakers both know that range anxiety is a huge barrier standing between shoppers and electric vehicles. But soon, EV owners will have yet another tool in their anti-anxiety toolkit, and it comes from a partnership between GPS heavyweight TomTom and charging station manufacturer...
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Better Place Shows Off Europe's First Battery Switch StationBetter Place has moved a bit further down the road in its quest to corner the electric vehicle market. In Denmark, the company has just unveiled Europe's first Battery Switch Station, which will serve as the cornerstone of Better Place's biggest real-world test to date. The grand event was held at...
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Disney's Cars 2 Makes Gas-Guzzlers The Bad GuysIf you have a child who's grade-school age or younger, chances are fairly good that you've already seen Disney Pixar's animated feature, Cars 2. If you're not in that number but enjoy eco-friendly rides, you might want to sneak a peek through the back door -- just don't expect any surprises. (Note...
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In the United States, we often think of Volkswagen as a moderately green company -- an automaker responsible for small vehicles like the popular Golf and New Beetle, and one of the few companies to...
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Volt, Leaf, And The Rest: How Automakers Pitch Electric CarsWe don't envy the makers of electric cars. They have to deliver vehicles that look as great as their gas-powered counterparts, and they have to explain those vehicles, too -- how they work, battery range, and so on. They've got a long, tough battle to win over consumers. But while we wouldn't...
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2012 Volvo C30 Electric: 250 Available In Europe This FallIf you're one of our European readers who's had his or her sights set on leasing a Volvo C30 Electric, we have good news and bad news. First the good news: Volvo has announced plans to start producing the C30 Electric for European customers this fall. The bad news? The company is only making 250 of...
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Making Music With A Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid & Unattended BaggageAbout a year and a half ago, Scion launched a new webmagazine called ScionAV. The goal? To engage potential Scion shoppers (i.e. Millennials) on lifestyle topics like music, film, and fashion. It's the way marketing works in the Social Media Age: you don't just talk to customers in showrooms, you...
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Toyota Prius: Estella Warren's Weapon Of ChoiceHere is what we know about Estella Warren from her Wikipedia page: • She is a fashion model, with a portfolio that includes work for Victoria's Secret, Chanel, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. • She is a swimsuit model, which is like being a fashion model, except the fashion is less important...
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Less Than Half Of U.S. Shoppers Want EVs To Take Over: DiscussIf you plan to shop for a new car this year, there will be a range of plug-in hybrids and EVs competing for your attention. But according to a new survey, only about 30% of you feel comfortable considering them -- and some of you are downright offended by their presence. The news comes from...
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EV automakers face an uphill road. Not only do they have to make great looking cars that offer all the amenities of their gas-engined equivalents, but they've also got to assuage public concerns...
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Michael Jackson Solves Energy Problems From Beyond The GraveReginald Garcia believes he's invented an engine that generates more power than it takes in. Perhaps more incredibly, to help turn his pet project into a reality, he's harnessing the star power of the late Michael Jackson. Garcia was a freelance shutterbug in 1978 when a friend asked him to take...
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Bill Uses California Traffic To Fuel EVs Instead Of Road RageIt's ironic that as the world becomes more interconnected, America is trying to become more independent. Nowhere is that more obvious than in our energy policy, where we talk a lot about the dangers of depending on foreign oil and the importance of generating our own energy. A new bill moving...
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Can Scooters Save The Planet? We Have Our DoubtsYou don't need to be a mathematician or a fortune-teller to figure out that most modern scooters are more eco-friendly than their four-wheeled kin. But can they really save the planet? A new infographic circulating across the web claims they can. Unfortunately, it doesn't tell the whole story. The...
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Survey: Consumers Growing Greener -- And They'll Shell Out The Green To Prove ItWith gas prices barreling toward $4 per gallon, there's lots of talk on the evening news about consumers shopping for fuel-efficient cars. In fact, many theorists see $4 as the tipping point at which car buyers prioritize fuel economy above all other criteria. But a new survey indicates that people...
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Video: Toyota Prius Cranks Up The Crazy With Two Record-Breaking DaysSpring has sprung for the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In. The highly anticipated hybrid recently began making the rounds with critics, so it's not surprising that Toyota chose the end of this month to tout the Prius brand by hosting a live, two-day event in which four Prii will be put through a number...
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Now, You Can Like Ford's Electric Vehicles On Facebook (But Will You Like Them In Real Life?) Richard ReadFord has been burning the midnight oil for several years now, and its hard work is paying off. The automaker's One Ford philosophy has resulted in a slimmer product lineup, two fewer brands, and a...